The Constitution as Suicide Pact

Cellular suicide pact

Dendritic spines cut loose to mature D eveloping dendritic spines need to hold on tight to the extracellular matrix as they seek out partnering neurons. Once they fi nd partners, however, the spine tips must sever their matrix ties to reshape into post-synaptic receiving stations, according to Tian et al. (page 687). Dendritic spine growth and maturation coincides with the expression of a neuro...

Stemming the tide: assisted suicide and the constitution.

Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide. Passage of Proposition 16 was a milestone in the campaign to make assisted suicide a legal option. The culmination of years of effort, the Oregon vote followed on the heels of failed referenda in California and Washington, and other unsuccessful attempts to enact state laws guaranteeing the right to suicide assistance. In...

Disorder in the court: physician-assisted suicide and the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights as a Constitution

Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT).

Whereas the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer has recently shown rapid clinical acceptance, photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT)--which predates the related cancer regimen--is not widely appreciated. Like PDT, PACT utilizes photosensitizers and visible or ultraviolet light in order to give a phototoxic response, normally via oxidative damage. Currently, the major use of PACT is in ...